


Sweet Christmas

by coolbyrne



Series: Cherry Wood and Whiskey [24]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Christmas fic, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28157268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbyrne/pseuds/coolbyrne
Summary: For Gibbs and Jack's first Christmas as a married couple, new traditions are formed. Slibbs
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Series: Cherry Wood and Whiskey [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1464682
Comments: 21
Kudos: 78





	Sweet Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short little fic in time for Christmas. The reference to the train and John Candy is, of course, a reference to the fantastic comedy, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles".

The murderous thoughts she had in her mind 4 days ago when she was told her presence at the conference was mandatory were nothing to the imaginative scenarios she was painting now as she stood in the O'Hare airport. 

_Delayed_

_No shit_ , she muttered to herself, not needing to turn around to the big windows to see why. It had been her biggest fear when she left the hotel that morning and saw nothing but white. She had given the cab driver a generous tip for navigating through the blizzard without killing anyone, and he wished her not only a Merry Christmas but a safe flight that they both knew was very unlikely to happen on schedule. She pulled out her phone.

"Yeah?"

Despite her simmering anger, his voice was a cool balm. "We really need to work on how you greet your wife," she said. The silence from his end was expected, and she smiled through her frustration. "I'm delayed. Again."

"Figured."

She ran an agitated hand through her hair. "That's it? 'Figured'?"

"I know, Sloane."

She knew he used her maiden name as a way to soften her edges and fill her with warmth. "Sorry," she immediately said. "I know you know. I'm just ready to be home."

"I'm ready for you to be home."

While the words wrapped around her like a comforting blanket, they also magnified her emotions. "Gibbs, it's our first Christmas."

"I'm not goin' anywhere."

She loved him for the point he was making- Christmas was a day; he was there for the long haul. Still, she couldn't help the pout in her voice. "If I miss it, it'll be Leon's _last_ Christmas."

His chuckle rolled down the line. "Give me a sitrep."

Her eyes went up to the Departures board. "No idea. I'll wait for the crowd around the information desk to clear before I go find out."

"Be gentle."

The laugh passed her lips unbidden. "Oh, Gunny. I make no promises." Her intended suggestiveness brought out a low growl from the other end of the phone and she laughed again.

"Keep me in the loop," he said in a tone that was a clear attempt to wrangle control of the conversation.

"I will," she promised. With a sigh, she said, "I should go. What are you doing?"

"Sittin'. Drinkin'. Waitin' for you."

The distance seemed like a chasm. "I miss you, too." The silence weaved them together, bridging the gap and keeping them close. The sound of his breathing only made her miss him more. She let out a final sigh before saying, "Don't drink all the eggnog." 

There was an odd satisfaction in imagining the snap of his archaic flip phone.

…..

Despite the drag of the last 12 hours, as soon as the car made the turn down the street, her heart lifted and everything fell into its rightful place. 

"I'm the house-" Her laughter filled the space and the driver smirked.

"Don't tell me," he said, pulling up to the hedge that was wrapped in what had to be a thousand mini lights. 

She bent her head to take in the entire view. The day before she had left for the conference, she had convinced Gibbs to put up a string of lights along the eaves and around the windows. He had paid Nathan to get up the ladder ('Not with these knees, hon,' he had told her), and while it wasn't quite the amount of decorations she'd tried to charm him into getting, it was just enough to make her happy. What she was seeing now was so much more. So very much more. She wasn't sure there was an inch of house or hedge, porch or path that didn't have a light, a bauble or-

"Love the inflatable Grinch," the driver said.

She laughed again, then stepped out of the car. Wishing him a Merry Christmas, she lugged her carry-on up the walkway, shaking her head at the sheer amount of lights, marvelling at the absolute brightness that greeted her. When she turned the handle and stepped inside, the light was at least a thousand wattage lower, but what it lacked in brightness, it made up for in warmth. The outside was him being a smartass, but the inside was him all over. Safe, secure, familiar. Her touch had weaved into the space over the 10 months of marriage and it was slowly becoming theirs, but his scent still lingered. The coffee. The wood. The warm sweet rolls.

_Wait, what?_

His head popped around the corner from the kitchen, his eyes wary of the new visitor but immediately turning a soft blue when he saw her.

"Jack." He wiped his hands on a dish towel, flipped it over his shoulder and casually sauntered towards the door. 

She tugged him by the hoodie and yanked his mouth to hers. It was a show of strength he willingly relinquished, slipping his hands into her open coat and curling around her waist. His lips were warm, his hold was strong and his hoodie was soft. She could have lived there forever. 

"Thought you- were- delayed." His sentence was sporadically interrupted by her kisses.

Her lips moved their way to his jaw and down to his chin. She paused at a discovery and she pulled back with a curious look. "Is that flour?"

"Delayed," he prodded, though his hold on her remained. 

She swayed her hips against his and nestled into his neck. "The flight was delayed until tomorrow. But I got a flight out of Indianapolis." She could almost feel his eyebrow go up and she smiled against his skin. "I rented a car. All that was missing was a train and John Candy."

"You drove 3 hours in a blizzard to get to Indianapolis?"

"Nope. Four hours."

"Jack-"

"I was not spending our first Christmas in an airport!" His kiss into her hair curbed her indignation. "Well. I'm just saying." She nipped his chin, pulled back and looped her pinky finger with his. "Now, the flour."

"Take a load off," he told her, giving her a once over. "Then come into the kitchen."

As she slipped off her coat, she said, "Nice lights, by the way." She could hear his chuckle as he walked away. 

"Your boy wasn't impressed by the original effort," Gibbs said.

"My boy?" She kicked off her boots and relished the feel of her feet on the floor. "You mean Danny?"

"Kid came over after you left to make sure I was okay."

"Awww."

He snorted at her response. "Apparently, he went around the neighbourhood and collected every extra light no one was usin'." He turned and gave her a glare that stopped a repeat of her reply. "I told him he'd better save up his allowance this month to pay the damn electricity bill." 

She came into the small kitchen and tucked into his side. Her lips found his jaw again, until a warm smell drew her attention to the counter. A deep dish of sweet rolls greeted her, and her intake of breath was audible. "Did you make these?" She pinched his side in retaliation for the look she knew he was giving but she couldn't see. "Fine. Where did you get the recipe? And how did you know?"

"That your mom used to make these for you?" She felt his shrug under her cheek. "You spent a Christmas with Leon and Jackie."

He didn't need to finish the clue. "It was my first year after Afghanistan. Wow." She shook her head at the memory. "Jackie asked me the one thing I wanted for Christmas. I told her, my mother's sweet rolls. So we made them together. I didn't know-"

"Accordin' to Leon, Jackie made them every Christmas. Now Kayla's taken on the tradition."

"That's how you got the recipe." She burrowed deeper into his shoulder, overcome with emotion. 

He gave her the moment, held her close, stood silent but strong, and it was so much of why she loved him. That, and the fact he could surprise her in the most wonderful of ways when she least expected it. She fisted his hoodie and nuzzled in closer, feeling the day and all it encompassed suddenly catching up to her.

"Did you use heavy cream for the drizzle?"

Instead of giving her another eye roll, he dipped his finger into a nearby bowl and brought his offering to her lips. The sweet orange tang coated her bottom lip and her tongue came out to taste, circling around his finger and drawing it into her mouth. When her teeth lightly bit down, his eyebrow went up.

"Be gentle."

A smile formed around his finger. "Oh, Gunny. I make no promises." They both chuckled at the familiar exchange, though her laugh was interrupted by a yawn. "No," she whined, "I don't wanna go to sleep. I wanna wait up for Santa."

He covered her pout with his lips, sharing the sweet orange flavour. "We'll leave out the rolls."

"I don't like him _that_ much."

He grinned. "Fornell left behind some cookies from the last poker night. I'll throw them on a plate with some milk."

She tugged at his belt loop. "Hey. Did you have a Christmas tradition growing up?"

He rested his chin in her hair as he contemplated the question. "Got to open 1 gift on Christmas Eve." His hands slid up under her shirt and he deftly undid her bra. When she raised her eyebrows, he shrugged. "Figured I'd get a head start on the unwrapping."

She looped her arms around his shoulders. "God, you're wicked." Her tongue swept over his bottom lip. "Deliciously wicked." Unravelling herself from their tangle, she slowly began walking backwards, giving him an obvious once-over. "Put out the milk and cookies." Her head gestured to the floor above them. "Then bring the drizzle. I wanna start a new Christmas tradition."

Her wink would've been enough to get his ass in gear, but the way her tongue came out to find the last remnants of the icing had him scooping up the bowl. "Screw Santa," Gibbs said, racing her up the stairs.

…..

-end


End file.
